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Marathon Tournament!
Taikai! | aired = July 13, 2010 |summary = The girls are preparing to run in Sakura High's annual marathon, but Yui isn't looking forward to it. |plot = It is the end of the summer break, and the principal of Sakuragaoka High School addresses the students, welcoming them back for another semester. Though Yui is unenthusiastic about returning to school, Tsumugi reminds them of all the fun they had over the summer, like at the summer festival and at the candy store. On the other hand, Azusa is fervently looking forward to the new semester, since the school festival is soon approaching. However, the first event of the semester is the school marathon. Yui is not looking forward to the marathon, but claims to have started her training regiment by running to school, though this is just an excuse to sleep in. Mugi tries to improve her stamina by eating healthy foods. Sawako Yamanaka suggests running in costumes as a joke, but her idea is quickly shot down. With their afternoon tea, Mugi has brought blancmanges made with kelp and seaweed, since the high iron content will help prevent anemia. Later, while Ui and Yui were shopping for new running shoes, they spot Sawako, who had bought supplies for the marathon like energy drinks and paper cups, as well as rice cake and red beans for a red bean soup at the end of the marathon. Sawako offers the girls a lift home, showing them the marathon route along the way. This year, the route is especially sadistic. It starts in the shopping district, full of distracting dessert shops and boutiques. The main challenge, however, is Heartbreak Hill - a grueling uphill struggle. Oddly, when they get home, Ui finds a rice cake in her bag, which Yui has for lunch the next day. In a final desperate attempt to have the race called off, Yui makes a bunch of weather dolls and hangs them upside down outside of her house, hoping they'll make it rain. But as the marathon finally arrives, the weather is sunny and clear. Once the marathon starts, most students pair off into groups. Nodoka runs ahead so she can finish sooner, while Ui, Azusa and Jun run together. Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi and Yui get off to a slow start. Mio dreads the prospect of finishing last and having an embarrassing picture taken, so she runs ahead. She and catches up with Ui's group, who slowed down since Jun was desperately out of breath. At the sight of Mio, Jun suddenly perks up, denying she was ever tired, and invites Mio to run with the group. Mio ultimately decides to wait for her friends, but this takes a while, because Yui gets distracted by something almost every couple of feet. As most of the racers reach "Heartbreak Hill," the differences in stamina become obvious: Jun is worn out and tells Ui and Azusa to go ahead without her. Yui isn't doing much better, so the other girls come up with various ideas to keep her in the race. First, Ritsu sings Fuwa Fuwa Time to keep a beat to run to, but this proves too fast for Yui. Next, they try to sing Watashi no Koi wa Hotchkiss, but Mugi just can't run and sing at the same time. Eventually, they catch up with Jun, who notices that Yui has gone missing. Jun heads for the finish line to inform the teachers and Ui. Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi search the race route, and Sawako looks on her own. The girls get freaked out when they overhear the Occult Club Members mention that this route is famous for alien abductions. Ui has finished the race, but doubles back because she has a good idea of where Yui is. Ui leads the girls to her neighbor's house (which is close to the route), only to find that Yui is there, taking a break after she fell and skinned her knee. Ui heads back to school to tell everyone that Yui is safe, and Yui rejoins the race with the others. It is only in the home stretch that Yui recalls that since she ate one of rice cakes, there should be one less, and so the last person to finish wouldn't get one. This results in a mad dash for the finish line, angering Ritsu since that Yui still wants to eat an extra rice cake. At the last second, Mio trips but manages to turn it into a spectacular somersault, though she is still plenty embarrassed by it. In the end, everyone still got a rice cake, since there was a surplus, though Yui still apologizes for making Mio make a fool of herself. Yui wants to go get some more rice cakes, but the ones left are reserved for teachers. Speaking of whom, Sawako is still lost on the race route, looking for Yui. }} Category:K-ON!! Episodes